COAL
In India, coal is the most abundantly available fossil fuel. It provides a substantial part of the nation’s energy needs. It is used for power generation, to supply energy to the industry as well as for domestic needs. India is highly dependent on coal for meeting its commercial energy requirements.
As you are already aware that coal is formed due the compression of plant material over millions of years. Coal, therefore, is found in a variety of forms depending on the degrees of compression and the depth and time of burial. Decaying plants in swamps produce peat. Which has low carbon and high moisture contents and low heating capacity. Lignite is low-grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content. The principal lignite reserves are in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and are used for the generation of electricity. Coal that has been buried deep and subjected to increased temperatures is bituminous coal. It is the most popular coal in commercial use. Metallurgical coal is high-grade bituminous coal which has a special value for smelting iron in blast furnaces. Anthracite is the highest quality of hard coal.
Figure 5.10(a): A view from inside of a coal mine
Figure 5.10(b): A view from outside of a coal mine
In India, coal occurs in rock series of two main geological ages, namely Gondwana, a little over 200 million years in age, and in tertiary deposits which are only about 55 million years old. The major resources of Gondwana coal, which are metallurgical coal, are located in Damodar valley (West Bengal - Jharkhand). Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro are important coalfields. The Godavari, Mahanadi, Son and Wardha valleys also contain coal deposits.
Tertiary coals occur in the northeastern states of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Remember coal is a bulky material, which loses weight on use as it is reduced to ash. Hence, heavy industries and thermal power stations are located on or near the coalfields.
Figure : India: Distribution of Coal, Oil and Natural Gas
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Petroleum
Petroleum or mineral oil is the next major energy source in India after coal. It provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery, and raw materials for a number of manufacturing industries. Petroleum refineries act as a “nodal industry” for synthetic textile, fertilizer and numerous chemical industries.
Most of the petroleum occurrences in India are associated with anticlines and fault traps in the rock formations of the tertiary age. In regions of folding, anticlines, or domes, it occurs where oil is trapped in the crest of the upfold. The oil-bearing layer is a porous limestone or sandstone through which oil may flow. The oil is prevented from rising or sinking by intervening non-porous layers.
Petroleum is also found in fault traps between porous and non-porous rocks. Gas, being lighter usually occurs above the oil. Mumbai High, Gujarat, and Assam are major petroleum production areas in India. From the map locate the 3 major offshore fields of western India. Ankeleshwar is the most important field of Gujarat. Assam is the oldest oil-producing state of India. Digboi, Naharkatiya and Moran-Hugrijan are the important oil fields in the state
Natural gas
Natural gas is an important clean energy resource found in association with or without petroleum. It is used as a source of energy as well as an industrial raw material in the petrochemical industry.
Natural gas is considered an environment-friendly fuel because of low carbon dioxide emissions and is, therefore, the fuel for the present century.
Large reserves of natural gas have been discovered in the Krishna-Godavari basin. Along the west coast, the reserves of the Mumbai High and allied fields are supplemented by finds in the Gulf of Cambay. Andaman and Nicobar islands are also important areas having large reserves of natural gas.
The 1700 km long Hazira-Vijaipur- Jagdishpur cross country gas pipeline links Mumbai High and Bassien with the fertilizer, power and industrial complexes in western and northern India. This artery has provided an impetus to India’s gas production. The power and fertilizer industries are the key users of natural gas. Use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG ) for vehicles to replace liquid fuels is gaining wide popularity in the country.
Figure : India: Distribution of Coal, Oil and Natural Gas
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
ELECTRICITY
Electricity has such a wide range of applications in today's world that, its per capita consumption is considered as an index of development. Electricity is generated mainly in two ways: by running water which drives hydro turbines to generate hydroelectricity; and by burning other fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas to drive turbines to produce thermal power. Once generated the electricity is exactly the same.
Hydroelectricity is generated by fast-flowing water, which is a renewable resource. India has a number of multi-purpose projects like the Bhakra Nangal, Damodar Valley Corporation, the Kopili Hydel Project etc. producing hydroelectric power.
Thermal electricity is generated by using coal, petroleum and natural gas. The thermal power stations use non-renewable fossil fuels for generating electricity.
Figure: India: Distribution of Nuclear and Thermal Power Plants
Activity :
1. Name some river valley projects and write the names of the dams built on these rivers
2. Collect information about thermal/hydel power plants located in your state. Show them on the map of India.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK